QUESTION PERIOD — National Defence
Military Spending
June 10, 2025
Leader, today the Auditor General tabled four audit reports. One of them is about costs related to the Department of Defence’s acquisition of F-35A aircraft. Apparently the cost of the new fleet of F-35s has already risen by almost 46% since 2022, when the federal government finalized the acquisition agreement. Initially valued at $19 billion, it has now reached $27.7 billion.
The F-35 acquisition file has been dragging on for 15 years now. The contract process began under Stephen Harper’s Conservatives in 2010. Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cancelled it after he was elected in 2015 and then relaunched it in 2022.
Leader, the Liberal government’s mismanagement, neglect and lack of foresight caused acquisition costs to skyrocket—
Thank you for the question. Not only have I read the report, but I was had a chance to participate in a briefing on the subject. As you are well aware, there are several reasons costs went up. The government accepts all of the Auditor General’s recommendations. It has already started implementing them and will continue to do so. The facts in the report make it clear that both the war in Ukraine and fluctuating international currency exchange rates are partly responsible for these excessively high costs.
Thank you. I’d like to quote the Auditor General:
That projection does not include other elements needed for Full Operational Capability, such as essential infrastructure upgrades and advanced weapons. These would add at least $5.5 billion to the total cost.
Leader, is this another out-of-control boondoggle? If it doesn’t table a proper budget, is your government at least committed to tabling a serious economic and fiscal update to take these costs into account?
The government has made historic investments in defence. What’s more, the Prime Minister has committed to tabling a budget this fall that will explain all the sources of revenue funding these historic investments.
